Blog posts tagged with women

When your beauty brand has fans like Whole Foods and Sephora, you know you’re doing something right. When you’re able to make those beauty products in a socially impactful way, that creates jobs and improves the environment, you’re doing something extraordinary.

For Yve-Car, the CEO and co-founder of successful social enterprise Kreyol Essence, that extraordinary journey all began with a hair catastrophe.

After going to a beautician in Philadelphia in 2008 who burned her hair, Yve-Car searched high and low for black...

For a second year in a row, Kiva had a record-breaking International Women’s Day! This was the biggest day of lending in Kiva's history, beating our second largest day by 23%! In just one week, more than seven thousand lenders and supporters doubled our goal in loans to women, with $3.5 million in loans on March 8th alone. As a result, the Kiva community fully funded 7,486 female loans!

Around the world, upstanding citizens are working to help combat their region-specific problems. From saving endangered species to finding a more efficient way to deal with old furniture, these innovators will bring a smile to your face.

Camions of Care: This teen-started initiative provides period products to those in need

Saving the turtles: How one man helped protect a 3,000 acre nature reserve

As we approach Valentine’s Day, it’s important to take a moment to think about all the industrious small business owners who make these love-filled holidays happen for everyone. Everything from a box of chocolates to a bottle of wine to candles softly lit on the table may have come from a small local business owner, working hard to get you all you need to show the love this February.

Vanessa of San Francisco’s Polk Street Florist is a shining example of this. A beloved staple of her community, she takes incredible joy in sharing her passion for flowers with her... Continue Reading >>

At just 23 years old, Chloe is the founder and CEO of BlackFem, a non-profit venture capital firm that teaches financial literacy to women and girls of color in under-served communities. Her philosophy regarding wealth in America might surprise you, and it’s now the title of a new children’s book she co-wrote: ‘Money Does Grow on Trees.’

This the second of our stories in our series spotlighting U.S. businesses in celebration of Independence Day.

“After years of working for someone else, I decided it was time to pursue my dream of bringing the food of my childhood to my new home.”

You can tell Guadalupe is a passionate woman from the moment you place your order at El Pipila. She is constantly moving around assembling the plates, but keeping an eye on everything that’s going on, making sure everyone receives the best service.

Leila is constantly smiling, and beams with pride when talking about her farm. But behind her sunny exterior, she carries a story of extreme hardship and perseverance.

Leila used to live in Ochamchire, in the coastal region of Abkhazia, situated in the north-western corner of Georgia. She was forced to leave her home, her roots and everything she knew in 1989 due to a regional conflict that eventually developed into a war between Georgia and Russia, led to Abkhazia formally...

Thanks to your generosity, Kiva had a record-breaking International Women's Day celebration to support women around the world! In 1 week, Kiva lenders and supporters funded nearly $4.5 million in loans to women, and $2.7 million on International Women's Day alone.

More loans were funded on International Women's Day 2016 than on any other day in Kiva's history!

More than 40,000 lenders participated during the week, and more than 14,000 women borrowers were successfully funded.

Nomatter buys fresh fish straight from local fishermen, then hauls her purchase 8 km to her home where she dries and processes them. She's one of the many successful business women who have taken out Kiva loans through our Field Partner Camfed in Zimbabwe. Read her story at Kiva's Medium page! Continue Reading >>

Réseau de Micro-institutions de Croissance de Revenus is a French NGO that provides microloans to underserved communities in rural Mali. It focuses on making financial services available to women borrowers and fostering an entrepreneurial culture in order to support economic development. The organization also offers borrowers a unique opportunity to gradually... Continue Reading >>

Who are they?
Nexus offers carbon-financing services to small and medium businesses in developing countries. Nexus has committed to provide clean energy to 20 million people in developing countries and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 million tons CO2eq by 2020.

Who are they?
Wedu selects women with interest in becoming change-makers in their communities and provides lifelong mentorship and affordable financial support to complete higher education. Instead of a conventional loan, Wedu borrowers on Kiva agree to repay the financial support through a Future Income Sharing Agreement (FISA). With FISAs, students receive funding now and repay the investment only... Continue Reading >>

News reports about Iraq are dominated by talk of conflict, bombings, casualties, and more conflict. But through the tragedy, there is hope. We are so inspired by the Iraqi women entrepreneurs who are taking out loans through Relief International, and are intent on bringing improvements and services to their communities regardless of the circumstances.

Meet Meada. She is an incredible woman taking steps to make life for Iraqi victims of violence a bit more bearable.

Who are they?
Ibdaa Microfinance SAL aims to improve the unemployment rate of Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon by providing loans to entrepreneurs in these communities. The organization puts a special emphasis on youth entrepreneurs, and ensures that each young borrower is matched with a mentor to provide business development services and insight.

The gap between the rich and poor in Colombia is one of largest in the world —and more than a third of Colombia’s population lives below the poverty line.

It’s in this environment that Kiva’s Field Partner of 3.5 years Interactuar is operating, helping entrepreneurs make their businesses a reality, and helping them learn the skills that will help them grow.

Interactuar works in the department of Antioquia, Colombia, where the average yearly income of residents is a meager $6,070. The organization strives to reduce unemployment and create sustainable... Continue Reading >>

We can’t wait for someone else to change the world. It’s our turn now. Kiva is teaming up with three new partners who create opportunity for all the the hard-working students, helpful neighbors, and independent women out there. These partners create the real changes we need to have a better world!

In June, we launched a program called WLIFT with our field partner Relief International in Iraq and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. We had one goal: To help women business owners in the country get the funding they need to grow their businesses and incomes -- and hire more people in their communities.

Small businesses are at the heart of healthy economic growth. And this is especially true in Iraq right now. What really inspires us, however, is just how truly phenomenal the women posted as Kiva borrowers through Relief International are. Just...Continue Reading >>

On Kiva, it's clear that women play a full range of roles: mothers, sisters, entrepreneurs, community leaders, activists, the list goes on. We see women every day acting on behalf of their communities, becoming the driving force behind business, education and agriculture.

Today, we celebrate the Day of the Girl Child, presenting us all with the opportunity to help young women thrive and grow up to be successful at whatever path they choose. This international day of reflection is all about considering gender equality, and the ways we can act together to...

Kiva loves supporting female entrepreneurs around the world. When women gain access to finance, they become independent and self-reliant. They tend to manage their household finances more carefully, start and expand their businesses, and save money for their childrens’ education. This kicks off an incredible cycle of change for entire communities.

Fundacion Namaste Guatemeya joins our growing list of partners that specifically focus on women’s entrepreneurship in rural areas. That is why we are so thrilled to announce a long awaited partnership with this... Continue Reading >>

While microfinance has become a powerful tool to fight poverty around the world, it leaves out a critical category of businesses that have the potential to create jobs and breakout growth in developing economies: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs for short).

One country where this is especially true is Iraq. Still in the early stages of recovery from the war, the country needs SMEs to build a strong foundation for healthy economic growth. At the same time, cultural restrictions and domestic norms in Iraq have vastly reduced the number of career... Continue Reading >>

Pages

Blog posts tagged with women

When your beauty brand has fans like Whole Foods and Sephora, you know you’re doing something right. When you’re able to make those beauty products in a socially impactful way, that creates jobs and improves the environment, you’re doing something extraordinary.

For Yve-Car, the CEO and co-founder of successful social enterprise Kreyol Essence, that extraordinary journey all began with a hair catastrophe.

After going to a beautician in Philadelphia in 2008 who burned her hair, Yve-Car searched high and low for black...

For a second year in a row, Kiva had a record-breaking International Women’s Day! This was the biggest day of lending in Kiva's history, beating our second largest day by 23%! In just one week, more than seven thousand lenders and supporters doubled our goal in loans to women, with $3.5 million in loans on March 8th alone. As a result, the Kiva community fully funded 7,486 female loans!

Around the world, upstanding citizens are working to help combat their region-specific problems. From saving endangered species to finding a more efficient way to deal with old furniture, these innovators will bring a smile to your face.

Camions of Care: This teen-started initiative provides period products to those in need

Saving the turtles: How one man helped protect a 3,000 acre nature reserve

As we approach Valentine’s Day, it’s important to take a moment to think about all the industrious small business owners who make these love-filled holidays happen for everyone. Everything from a box of chocolates to a bottle of wine to candles softly lit on the table may have come from a small local business owner, working hard to get you all you need to show the love this February.

Vanessa of San Francisco’s Polk Street Florist is a shining example of this. A beloved staple of her community, she takes incredible joy in sharing her passion for flowers with her... Continue Reading >>

At just 23 years old, Chloe is the founder and CEO of BlackFem, a non-profit venture capital firm that teaches financial literacy to women and girls of color in under-served communities. Her philosophy regarding wealth in America might surprise you, and it’s now the title of a new children’s book she co-wrote: ‘Money Does Grow on Trees.’

This the second of our stories in our series spotlighting U.S. businesses in celebration of Independence Day.

“After years of working for someone else, I decided it was time to pursue my dream of bringing the food of my childhood to my new home.”

You can tell Guadalupe is a passionate woman from the moment you place your order at El Pipila. She is constantly moving around assembling the plates, but keeping an eye on everything that’s going on, making sure everyone receives the best service.

Leila is constantly smiling, and beams with pride when talking about her farm. But behind her sunny exterior, she carries a story of extreme hardship and perseverance.

Leila used to live in Ochamchire, in the coastal region of Abkhazia, situated in the north-western corner of Georgia. She was forced to leave her home, her roots and everything she knew in 1989 due to a regional conflict that eventually developed into a war between Georgia and Russia, led to Abkhazia formally...

Thanks to your generosity, Kiva had a record-breaking International Women's Day celebration to support women around the world! In 1 week, Kiva lenders and supporters funded nearly $4.5 million in loans to women, and $2.7 million on International Women's Day alone.

More loans were funded on International Women's Day 2016 than on any other day in Kiva's history!

More than 40,000 lenders participated during the week, and more than 14,000 women borrowers were successfully funded.

Nomatter buys fresh fish straight from local fishermen, then hauls her purchase 8 km to her home where she dries and processes them. She's one of the many successful business women who have taken out Kiva loans through our Field Partner Camfed in Zimbabwe. Read her story at Kiva's Medium page! Continue Reading >>

Réseau de Micro-institutions de Croissance de Revenus is a French NGO that provides microloans to underserved communities in rural Mali. It focuses on making financial services available to women borrowers and fostering an entrepreneurial culture in order to support economic development. The organization also offers borrowers a unique opportunity to gradually... Continue Reading >>

Who are they?
Nexus offers carbon-financing services to small and medium businesses in developing countries. Nexus has committed to provide clean energy to 20 million people in developing countries and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 million tons CO2eq by 2020.

Who are they?
Wedu selects women with interest in becoming change-makers in their communities and provides lifelong mentorship and affordable financial support to complete higher education. Instead of a conventional loan, Wedu borrowers on Kiva agree to repay the financial support through a Future Income Sharing Agreement (FISA). With FISAs, students receive funding now and repay the investment only... Continue Reading >>

News reports about Iraq are dominated by talk of conflict, bombings, casualties, and more conflict. But through the tragedy, there is hope. We are so inspired by the Iraqi women entrepreneurs who are taking out loans through Relief International, and are intent on bringing improvements and services to their communities regardless of the circumstances.

Meet Meada. She is an incredible woman taking steps to make life for Iraqi victims of violence a bit more bearable.

Who are they?
Ibdaa Microfinance SAL aims to improve the unemployment rate of Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon by providing loans to entrepreneurs in these communities. The organization puts a special emphasis on youth entrepreneurs, and ensures that each young borrower is matched with a mentor to provide business development services and insight.

The gap between the rich and poor in Colombia is one of largest in the world —and more than a third of Colombia’s population lives below the poverty line.

It’s in this environment that Kiva’s Field Partner of 3.5 years Interactuar is operating, helping entrepreneurs make their businesses a reality, and helping them learn the skills that will help them grow.

Interactuar works in the department of Antioquia, Colombia, where the average yearly income of residents is a meager $6,070. The organization strives to reduce unemployment and create sustainable... Continue Reading >>

We can’t wait for someone else to change the world. It’s our turn now. Kiva is teaming up with three new partners who create opportunity for all the the hard-working students, helpful neighbors, and independent women out there. These partners create the real changes we need to have a better world!

In June, we launched a program called WLIFT with our field partner Relief International in Iraq and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. We had one goal: To help women business owners in the country get the funding they need to grow their businesses and incomes -- and hire more people in their communities.

Small businesses are at the heart of healthy economic growth. And this is especially true in Iraq right now. What really inspires us, however, is just how truly phenomenal the women posted as Kiva borrowers through Relief International are. Just...Continue Reading >>

On Kiva, it's clear that women play a full range of roles: mothers, sisters, entrepreneurs, community leaders, activists, the list goes on. We see women every day acting on behalf of their communities, becoming the driving force behind business, education and agriculture.

Today, we celebrate the Day of the Girl Child, presenting us all with the opportunity to help young women thrive and grow up to be successful at whatever path they choose. This international day of reflection is all about considering gender equality, and the ways we can act together to...

Kiva loves supporting female entrepreneurs around the world. When women gain access to finance, they become independent and self-reliant. They tend to manage their household finances more carefully, start and expand their businesses, and save money for their childrens’ education. This kicks off an incredible cycle of change for entire communities.

Fundacion Namaste Guatemeya joins our growing list of partners that specifically focus on women’s entrepreneurship in rural areas. That is why we are so thrilled to announce a long awaited partnership with this... Continue Reading >>

While microfinance has become a powerful tool to fight poverty around the world, it leaves out a critical category of businesses that have the potential to create jobs and breakout growth in developing economies: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs for short).

One country where this is especially true is Iraq. Still in the early stages of recovery from the war, the country needs SMEs to build a strong foundation for healthy economic growth. At the same time, cultural restrictions and domestic norms in Iraq have vastly reduced the number of career... Continue Reading >>

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